The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of nonwoven water blocking tapes and to the use of such tapes in cable manufacture and, in particular, their use in the manufacture of communications cables using fibre optics. Cables, in particular communication cables using fibre optics, can quickly be damaged by water ingress, particularly if the water travels along the inside of the cable to splices, junctions, signal boosters etc. In the case of underwater or buried cables this problem can be quite serious. The ingress of water into the cable may be simply by the diffusion of water through the outer polymeric jacket, or by rupture of the outer jacket. Rupturing of the outer jacket may be caused by rodent or insect attack, by impact or by abrasion.